News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
Troost Gets Another Boost with 89-Unit Apartment Project at Linwood
By Kevin Collison A $14 million apartment project planned for the southwest corner of Linwood and Troost is moving forward following approval of a 25-year property tax abatement by a city development agency last week. UC-B Properties intends to build an 89-unit project at the key intersection, the latest new investment along Troost. Even with…
Developer Wins Final Approval for $78M East Crossroads Apartment Project
By Kevin Collison The $72 million East Crossroads apartment development, a huge residential investment in one of downtown’s trendiest areas, won approval for tax incentives Thursday and is expected to begin construction in December. The 338-unit project being developed by Indianapolis-based Milhaus marks the biggest investment in new construction in an area that has been…
Wonder Shops + Flats Add Yeast to Ongoing Troost Revival
By Kevin Collison The Troost revival is continuing to rise with the Wonder Shops + Flats mixed-use development nearing completion in the former Wonder Bread bakery at the corner of East 30th Street. The 150,000 square-foot building, which opened in 1909 as Continental Bakers before shifting to Wonder Bread, has been restored with 87 apartments,…
Crossroads Hotel a Striking Addition to Downtown Hospitality Scene
By Kevin Collison The bland exterior of the new Crossroads Hotel at 2101 Central may fool you, but once inside the historic brick shell you’ll discover and enjoy a post-industrial chic vibe that’s right out of New York’s famed SoHo District. The partnership between Chicago-based Simeone Deary Design Group and el dorado architects has created…
Zeroing In On Jobs
Tennessee has terrific country music, incredible scenery, and world-class whiskey. But that is not why Missouri Gov. Mike Parson envies our neighbor to the south and east. He’s interested in emulating more prosaic things like improved academic achievement, rising high school graduation rates — and the nearly half a million private-sector jobs created in Tennessee…
Guy Fieri Driving Into KC Live! Next Year with New Restaurant
Guy Fieri, the flamboyant host of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” is rolling out a new “one-of-a-kind” restaurant at the Kansas City Live! block next year. “Let me just put it this way: If you like to party, and you like tacos, this is gonna be your kinda dive!,” Fieri said in a release from the…
Techweek Caps Annual Downtown Event by Awarding $500,000 in Grants
By Kevin Collison A Techweek packed with speakers, panel discussions and even a mayoral forum culminated Friday in a ceremony that rivaled the Golden Globes for giddy anticipation as $500,000 in grants were announced to promising startup firms. As families and friends gathered with entrepreneurs in booths at No Other Pub with a beer or…
West Bottoms Whiskeys Adds New Spirits to Historic Industrial District
By Kevin Collison The West Bottoms’ massive old industrial buildings are an inexpensive haven for hundreds of downtown creatives living their dream and Alex Lindsey plans to add whiskey to the mix soon. He’s working on opening his West Bottoms Whiskeys in what looks like a garage bay at 1321 W. 13th St. A century…
McCaskill Debates Hawley, Justus is Running (Again), and Heading to Oz
KCPT’s Nick Haines, executive director of public affairs and Week in Review host, picks out the big stories of the week ahead and the interesting stories you may have missed. Trump and Pence All In 48 Hours How rare is it for us to get this much national political attention? In the span of 48 hours,…
East Crossroads Rolls Out the Barrel for Big New Brewpub
By Kevin Collison The East Crossroads, already home to several microbreweries, is about to add another that promises to be the biggest in downtown outside the mother of all local brewers, Boulevard. City Barrel Brewing Co. expects to open at 1728 Holmes St. before the end of the year and co-owner James Stutsman says it…